


Golden Time Lover

by LPSunnyBunny, Overandout



Series: Bird and the Sword [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Background Pale Davekat If You Squint, Earth C (Homestuck), First Time, Incest, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, POV Alternating, Past Child Abuse, Poor Lube Choice, Post-Canon, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25374685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LPSunnyBunny/pseuds/LPSunnyBunny, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Overandout/pseuds/Overandout
Summary: The game's over. They won, standing on Earth C, ready to claim their new world and make a life. In the contemplation of their new life, the Striders have a conversation and a revelation.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Dirk Strider
Series: Bird and the Sword [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837327
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Golden Time Lover

Earth C is not what Dave expected. 

For some reason, when they had won the game, Dave had expected... fuck, he doesn't know, some version of the world they left behind? Or some magical human-troll hybrid world where everything was utopia? 

Nah, what they got was a big, gorgeous planet with lush greenery and blue skies and absolutely no sentient life. 

Dave's pretty sure they're all a little bit shell-shocked from actually  _ making _ it, from defeating Lord English in a dizzying sequence of events that... Dave is pretty sure that probably no one except for Calliope understands in full. He doesn't really care, honestly, as long as that bastard is gone and gone for good. 

But yeah. Shell-shocked because pretty much the first thing that everyone did was find a nice place to sit down and just breathe. And sleep. Karkat in particular had dragged Dave into a pile and fell asleep basically immediately. Dave couldn't exactly let his best alien friend get woken up by Dave trying to extract himself, so he just lay there and let Karkat nap on him. 

Dave had watched quietly as everyone else had gradually settled down for what was probably the most exhausted, relieved sleep of everyone's lives. 

He still felt wired, felt wide awake- so he resolved to stay up and just watch, make sure that everyone is alright and nothing crazy happens or anything like that. 

His attention keeps pulling to Dirk. Dirk, who looks like an echo of Bro, but young. Dave's chest feels tight and hot and he can't really describe with words the feelings there, but it makes him want to go punch something. Or cry. Or scream. Or do something other than just lying here, watching Dirk out of the corner of his eye. 

He wonders if Dirk will grow up to be like Bro. He wonders if Bro would have been more like Dave, without Lil Cal. He wonders if Dirk looks at him and sees  _ his _ brother.

Dave wonders how many hugs Bro got in his life. He wonders if Dirk's had more or less than that number. 

Dirk holds himself with a carefully relaxed stance, sitting against a tree. Roxy had voided up a fire (which Dave doesn't want to think too hard about, because the idea of it just makes his brain hurt), so Dave can watch the flames reflecting off of Dirk's shades as he (presumably) stares into the fire. 

Dave watches and watches and watches. Remembers Dirk's quiet words on the rooftop as they waited for Jack. His controlled mannerisms, his offer to stay silent as Dave dumped all his conflicted, confused thoughts out into his lap like a white girl getting drunk for the first time. 

Dave thinks about the soul mark on the back of his neck. 

He remembers Dirk's apology for things he hadn't done. His quiet profession of admiring his Dave. His admittance of being a toxic element in Jake's life. His admittance on how he can see himself becoming worse and worse. His relief at Dave's honesty about him and Bro. 

His fear of turning into someone like Bro. 

Dave's feelings on Bro are mixed. There are so many things tangled up inside himself, but looking at Dirk- he doesn't know what to do with any of it. 

Dave glances down at Karkat, who is drooling in his sleeps, and holds back a sigh. He would really like to go  _ do _ something and get rid of some of this restless energy. Maybe if he just... shifts. Very very gently shifts himself out from under Karkat.

Yes. Fucking nailed it. Dave is THE ninja. 

He gives Dirk a little nod of acknowledgment, a little shared  _ Yeah, look at us, both awake, haha that's fun _ , then he's slipping away into the forest to go explore, floating a couple of feet off the ground as he slips between trees. 

Well, that's fucking picturesque. A cliff side of stone, jutting out over a lake, with mountains in the distance, snow-tipped peaks shoving up into the sky. Dave slowly settles down on the edge of the cliff and just looks, trying to sort out the tangle of emotions in his chest.

Dirk knows he should be relaxed, maybe even sleeping with the rest of them, but his whole life had been tangled up in waiting, for drones, for the game, for  _ something _ , and his body can't seem to be convinced that it's all over, that he's safe. 

And maybe he's not. Their group collapsed just about as soon as they made it into the world, and it looked safe enough for now, but what if there were dangerous beasts or something lurking around, like what he heard Jake's island was like? He had to keep an eye out, at least while everyone else was asleep. 

Dave wasn't, though. Dirk wondered if Dave was dealing with the same on-edge feelings Dirk was. He wondered if that was his fault. Not  _ his _ , but the version of him Dave grew up with. He didn't know all the details, but it seemed Bro didn't allow for much more relaxation than Dirk was used to. 

He watches Dave as Dave watches the fire, presumably. He wasn't used to being at a disadvantage with shades, but he still wants quite used to face to face contact, either. He probably shouldn't be staring, but Dave probably couldn't tell he was. There were a lot of "probably"s and he didn't sit comfortably with them.

Everything in his life had been leading up to this game and now it was done and now everything was so uncertain and here he was not even sure how to interact with the only other person who was awake, the one he had always hoped he'd be more comfortable with. He didn't know how to handle Dave being here, being real, much less someone who had a much less favorable interaction with an alternate version of him. Dave said he wasn't responsible for him, for what Bro did, but Dirk honestly couldn't see himself being all that much better, easily capable of the same things. Suffice to say, it definitely wasn't the reunion with his ecto-brother that he always dreamed of. 

Dave adjusts and manages to get our from under his... Boyfriend? He wasn't sure what was up with them. But the troll doesn't wake up and Dave gives him a nod and heads out into the woods, floating quietly. 

Dirk isn't sure how to interpret the nod. Was it just an acknowledgment, or was he expected to do something? Either way, his earlier concerns about there being something potentially dangerous out there are at him. Should he go follow Dave, make sure no one goes off alone? Should he stay at the camp since he's the only one awake? Did Dave want to be alone? Did Dave want him to follow. 

He stares at the fire as he mulls over the possibilities, the lack of red text appearing to chastise him for waffling on this still strange to him.

After a few minutes, he decides Dave shouldn't be out there on his own, and gets up to follow him, also floating to not alert anyone to his leaving. 

He finds Dave easily enough, the bright red godtier uniform sticking out amongst the foliage. He's sitting on a cliff edge, over a beautiful view of a lake with a backdrop of mountains. 

He wonders if his Earth had once been this beautiful, scanning his mind for pictures he had been able to find online, but he supposes it doesn't really matter. 

He lets his feet hit the ground as he steps closer, clearly making noise so Dave won't be startled ad he approaches. 

He clears his throat, still standing a few feet behind him. "Everything okay?" 

What a stupid question. How could anyone possibly answer that right now? Dirk wasn't sure he had an answer for it. He doesn't take it back, just lets it sit and hopes it's passable anyway.

Dave lets his feet dangle off the edge of the cliff, staring at the view, but not really seeing it as his mind churns. 

Footsteps behind him. 

Dave almost reaches for his sword before he remembers  _ right. We won _ and stops, resulting in an aborted almost-movement. The footsteps stop and Dave doesn't look back, still looking at the view. 

It's Dirk, because of course it is. Dave thinks about the question.  _ Is _ everything okay? It should be, right? They won and are in their new world. 

Dave doesn't feel okay. He feels like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop. "No clue." He finally says, after 5.67 seconds of silence. 

Dave thinks about the feeling so metal on metal. Thinks about the sight of Dirk's unbreakable sword breaking. Thinks about the way Dirk had gone stiff as Dave hugged him, hands coming down to awkwardly hug him back.

Dirk notices his half move to his sword and regrets following him. Maybe he  _ did _ just want to be alone. 

But he's being honest about how he feels, so that's... Something? Right? 

Dirk takes a few steps closer, unsure if he should join him on the edge. "Do you want to talk about it? Or we could do another lightning round." Maybe that would be more comfortable for him. "Or I can just fuck off," he offers.

Ha, that's a difference right there. Bro wouldn't have even bothered asking. Dave wonders if Dirk's ever had a round of 20 questions with anyone. 

"Lightning round of fuckery and anxieties, lets do it." Dave says, and slaps his hand on the rock beside him, silently telling Dirk to come sit

Dirk sits down where Dave gestures, a mix of relieved and anxious. Somehow this felt just as serious as, if not more than, his initial talk with Dave on the ledge of that building before fighting Jack. 

Is this how all their heart to hearts would happen? Under the guise of a game at the edge of a steep drop? He supposes there was weirder things about their relationship than that. 

"I guess I'll start. What's bothering you?" Cut right to the heart of things. No beating around the bush.

Dirk sits down next to him and Dave glances over at him. He looks at the profile of Dirk's face. Wonders how long it'll be before Dirk's face gradually morphs into the shape of Bro's. 

"Firing strong right out the gate, huh?" Dave leans back on his hands and looks up at the night sky. "Guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It seems anti-climactic after... everything."

Dirk nods, not looking at Dave like that will help alleviate any awkwardness. "Feels like the second we let ourselves relax, we'll be unprepared for the  _ next _ shit to hit the fan." It's kind of comforting knowing Dave relates to it, even if he's afraid alt-him is part of the reason why. "Did you have plans? For not-the-end-of-the-world? Something you can do now that it's over?"

"Yeah, you get it." Dave says, cause he gets the sense Dirk really  _ does _ . Everyone else gets to just pass out and feel safe- but the fucking Striders get the short end of the stick and are left hopped up on survival juice and trying to keep it fucking together. 

Plans, though? Dave looks away again. If Dave's being honest, he didn't really make... any plans. A vague idea of 'maybe I'll take a road trip to John's and crash at his house once I turn 18'. Anything else beyond that was smoke. 

But then the game happened. And nothing mattered but getting through it. 

"Not really." Dave finally says. "I guess I never really... thought about it. You?"

_ Strider bonding plus one _ , Dirk thinks, only cringing at himself a little bit. 

His question directed back at him felt uncomfortable, though. "There  _ was _ nothing else. For me and Roxy, there was only the game. Or fucking up and getting killed by drones or dying in some other bullshit post-fish-pocalypse way. I never really considered there  _ being _ an after."

_ Only the game _ . Dave can't even begin to imagine what that was like. The only point of contact in his world being text, with the rest of humanity just... gone. 

"Sounds like that fucking sucked." Is what he says. "I can see why you weren't exactly making a road map of your life a-la-white-suburban-family-style. Can't plan to go to Harvard if you don't even know if Harvard's going to exist after everything."

Okay, refocus, this was supposed to be about  _ Dave _ . "I guess I can build my own Harvard now. The Strider School of Internet Philosophy and Sweet Swords," he says, motioning his hands like he's showing off a banner. 

He sighs lightly and drops his hands. "But seriously, this place is a lot more 'build your own' than I thought it would be. Which I guess means we can do whatever. What's your first act as god of a new world?" He tilts his head to look at Dave and smirks lightly, a barely noticeable quirk of the lips.

Dave grins a bit at the school name, but then looks up at the sky again as Dirk asks the question. 

"Well." He says, contemplatively. "I think my first act as god is to declare every day a holiday. Today can be 'new world celebration day'. Tomorrow can be 'your gods didn't die permanently' day. Then the day after- fuck if I know, but I'm sure we'll think of something."

"I think 'your gods didn't die permanently' can be a weekly holiday at  _ least _ . That's our new fuckin sabbath day." 

Okay, that lightened the mood up, but now back to more serious stuff, which is why he followed Dave and started this to begin with. "So, the troll, Karkat? What's the, uh, deal with you two? Is he your..." Soulmate? Boyfriend? Fuck buddy? Dirk wasn't sure how he wanted to finish it off, so he hoped Dave would fill it in for him.

"I agree, motion approved." Dave says. "Look at us, being all governmental and responsible and shit. Who would've thought?" 

"Oh, Karkat?" Dave gives a little shrug. "He's... dunno, we're  _ something _ . Cuddle buddies maybe. Like not romantic or anything- but you can't really spend three years hanging out with someone basically every day and not become really close." 

An argument could be made that they're pale? But Dave doesn't really care about... putting a label on what they have. They're best friends who wake each other up from nightmares sometimes and Dave really really does not want Karkat anywhere his dick so that's pretty firmly in 'no romo' territory.

Dirk felt relieved and then freaked out that he felt relieved and decided to put that in a box to figure out later. 

"That's fair enough," he said, even though his experience hanging out with his friends for a couple of months seemed to have led to the opposite there for a bit. Maybe it was a curve, and it would have been better had they done so longer. 

"This whole thing makes you wonder about the whole 'soulmate' situation, since now it's just, what, a dozen of us left? I mean, not that it necessarily even  _ matters _ after everything. Could SBurb even have accounted for that shit?" Dirk was rambling. He needed to stop. "We'll just have to rely on ourselves instead of some pre-destined bullshit, which I always figured would be my case, anyway, since there was only one other living person on my planet and--" This was the opposite of stopping and he almost made things  _ really _ awkward with his next revelation. "Like I said. Doesn't matter. Is it your turn for lightning round? I can't remember how we decided last time."

Dave feels a scowl pull slightly at his mouth before shaking his head. It's not Dirk's fault that- 

Ugh. Dave is not thinking about this right now. He sighs. 

"Well, interestingly enough, trolls don't have soulmates, so that's something to consider." Dave says. "Cause Rose has a soulmark and Kanaya doesn't but they're in love anyway. I guess that shit doesn't.... really matter anymore?" 

Dave doesn't really know if he believes it, but... it doesn't really matter for  _ him _ anymore, that's for sure. 

"Still pretty weird that Sburb would have given us marks if there wasn't at least the  _ chance _ of being with our soulmates, though, unless it genuinely didn't do anything with them and the cosmic powers of the universe that make soulmarks just went  _ whoopsie daisy! Sorry y'all! _ " 

Dave shrugs. "It's just weird cosmic bullshit I guess." He says. He doesn't say how he used to touch the back of his neck and dream about what his soulmate would be like. 

But yeah. Dave Strider is fate's bitch, so it doesn't work like that for him. 

"I don't think we ever had hard rules for this, so fuck it. Uh... Tell me something from pre-apocalyptic world that you never got to try but want to."

Dirk nods along with what Dave is saying. He feels the same, though probably for different reasons. How could soulmates possibly matter with the hand he'd been dealt? 

"Sburb sure played some nasty fuckin tricks on us, I'll give it that." 

Dirk considers Dave's prompt. "I think just visiting landmarks, seeing what things used to be like. This is a pretty good start." He nods to the scenery in front of them. "If I had to pick something specific... I guess I wanted to go to Hollywood? Call it cliche, but I spent a lot of time following alt-you's career, so it always interested me more than other places."

"Ah, damn." Dave says, feeling a smile tug at his mouth. That's a surprisingly cute answer. "Here I was hoping it's be something like 'I always wanted to try a bomb ass Taco Bell Quesadilla box' which I could actually like. Try and deliver on. Don't think I can take us back to Hollywood unless we decide to build one here which sounds like a rage-inducing amount of work."

"I would also settle for a bomb ass Taco Bell Quesadilla box," Dirk said. "But who knows what Roxy can actually do with her void powers. Shit seems op as fuck."

"Void powers broken, please nerf." Dave deadpans. "Man that'd be wild though. Roxy basically single-handedly saved all of trolls future as a race with a single action, but then she's gonna go stroll down the block for a Locos Taco and maybe a Baja Blast." 

He's surprised to find that he's actually enjoying himself. His thoughts keep circling back to  _ Bro _ \- but it's easier to take those thoughts and gently, firmly, set the to the side in the face of Dirk's softer features and casual mannerisms. 

It's easier to look at Dirk with each passing moment and just think  _ Dirk _ . 

"Your turn, dude." Dave says. "Hit me."

"You know that's going to be her number one priority once she gets up and going. Making sure we have classic American fast food chains." His tone when talking about Roxy was... Kind of proud, even if it was over a silly concept. 

"Okay, same vein. What are you going to miss most about your earth? Besides some killer fast food." 

Maybe this was a good line of seriousness. Maybe distracting was more important than digging up anything more that might be eating at him. Maybe Dirk just liked relaxing with Dave like he had yet to be able to with anyone else.

"Obama." Dave says immediately- he doesn't even need to think. "The man, the myth- the legend himself. He came out swinging with  _ yes we can _ all Bob-the-Builder style and I hope to god that somehow he survived." 

He puts a fist over his heart, mock-saluting the brave, brave man. 

Man, hearing Dirk talk about Roxy is... cute. He said before, on the roof, how she had idolized him and it had probably contributed to his... well,  _ everything _ , but he sounds so much like a proud dad that Dave can't help but be happy at the tone in Dirk's voice. 

He drops his fist after a moment, scrounging for another question. "Okay, how about- we're probably going to have to fucking  _ rebuild civilization _ , what's the first thing you'd want to build? No restrictions."

"He apparently did some good shit in our time line before everything went to hell, I'll give him that," Dirk says. 

He contemplates Dave's question. "You know actually maybe that school. We got a lot of shit to learn and basically infinity to learn it. Might as well start somewhere." 

Dirk wants to follow the flow of the conversation and ask Dave the same question, but his gut tugs him another direction. "Why'd you leave camp? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense if it was just the feeling something else bad is going to happen." 

He isn't looking at Dave directly, just sneaking glances out the corner of his eye, as though not having to face him will make it easier to answer.

Dirk actually wants to build the school. That's... sweet, in a way that Dave wasn't expecting. He opens his mouth to say something, tease him maybe, or express genuine support for the idea, but Dirk's question catches him off guard. 

He shuts his mouth and thinks. 

"I'm not sure." Dave finally says. "I guess it's just- a lot." He stares down at his hands. There's a little white scar across the inner fingers on his left hand where he had handled a blade wrong and sliced his fingers open. 

"Just. So fucking long in the game and then it's just over like that. It's kind of messing with my head, really." 

There's a lot more to it than that, but Dave had made his peace with a lot of it. A lot of it he hadn't. But a lot of it he had. Three long years with a best friend who constantly shoves his nose into shit was certainly what Dave needed to face a  _ lot _ of ugly truths and work through them. 

"What made you follow me?" Dave asks.

Maybe Dirk was prodding something Dave really  _ didn't _ want to talk about. Or maybe it was as simple as that. 

The question is turned around on him and Dirk is suddenly self conscious. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Striders gotta stick together." 

He was also desperate to know Dave more. Partially because of the years spent looking up to his alt-self but mostly because it was Dave. 

But he couldn't say that. That would be  _ too _ much.

_ Striders gotta stick together _ . Dave stares out at the view, contemplative, thinking about Bro. Thinks about the flat wall his brother had been, never giving him anything but the bare necessities to survive. Thinks about scrambling for the tiniest scraps of approval. Thinks about the fight for survival- thinks about how Bro had fucking  _ split a meteor in half _ to give him more time to get into the game. How, even when looking at it from the worst possible lens- 

Bro had been trying to make him strong. He had come through where it  _ really _ counted, saving Dave when he needed it- 

and then died anyway. How he had given Dave scars that will never leave or go away. 

Dave thinks about Cal. Thinks about what if Cal hadn't been there. Would his Bro have been more like Dirk? Reserved, but social? 

Thinks about how willingly Dirk reached out. Followed him. 

Dave thinks about a lot of things, aware of the seconds dragging on like the pulse of his blood. 

Dave thinks about a life all alone. Raised by someone he barely saw- and Dirk, all alone- raised by someone he  _ never _ saw. Thinks about how stiff Dirk had gone at the hug. 

Dave thinks about Dirk, talking about his admiration for  _ his _ Bro. For Dave, by proxy. The barely-contained affection. 

Dave thinks about growing up alone. 

Dave slings an arm around Dirk's shoulder, giving him a side-hug. 

"Yeah." He says, a full 47 seconds later. "We do. We won this fucking game and we'll have each other's backs." He raises his other hand for a fist bump. "Striders gotta stick together."

Dirk is worried he said the wrong things, made things too weird or hit on some nerve, as they sit there in silence for almost a full minute. His mind races for something to say to take it back or make it better, and he's caught off guard when Dave wraps an arm around him. It's an odd but good feeling, and he finds himself leaning into it, just a little. 

Dirk bumps Dave's raised fist and tries not to think about how this was all he ever wanted from a brother. 

He can't place the burden of idolizing an alt-Dave on this Dave's shoulders, had to treat him like his own person. But Dave just by himself was just as amazing, maybe moreso because he was so real and right in front of him. So much better than the distant figure he could never reach. 

Maybe he's too caught up in his own sentimentality and reflecting on his childish wishes because he finds himself saying, "Yeah, we don't need soulmates or destiny or whatever grand plans our bro's had for us besides just surviving. We did it. We survived. Now we get to live." 

He cringes at how cheesy it sounds, but he means it.

"That's got so much cheese it should be packaged up and rebranded as the new universe's cheese-wiz." Dave says, but he's honest-to-god  _ grinning. _

_ We get to live _ . 

He shakes his head, exhaling roughly. He's still got his arm around Dirk's shoulders- he felt the tiny little tense at the touch and it hasn't quite gone away yet. 

"I guess the real fucking question from here is what 'living' really is." Dave says. "Are we just going to pull a Minecraft and just-" He waves vaguely at the world. "Start making shit? I guess?"

Dirk feels the tips of his ears heat up. "Can't a dude be a little sincere with his ecto-alt-universe-brother?" he asks, trying to keep his tone even like it hadn't actually affected him, but not sure he succeeded. 

Dave still has his arm around him, though, which is still comforting. He leans into it a bit more. 

"Yeah I guess once Roxy and Jade wake up we'll really get down to business, since their powers seem the most suited for this. Though the Condesce was really big into getting everyone to learn construction while there was still an earth, so I imagine it was the same for the trolls, so they'll be helpful, too. They can all get together and brainstorm some cool shit and I guess we'll be around to get shit done. Strider style." 

Maybe he was playing up their connection too hard, but he was still getting used to  _ having _ this connection and he wanted to indulge in it as long as he could before Dave went back to his best troll bro.

Dirk says  _ brother _ and there's a funny lilt to the word that Dave can't quite place. 

"Ha, yeah, I doubt I'll be of much help with all that." He says. "Here's a tip- I wouldn't recommend letting  _ Rose _ do architecture work, either. You shoulda seen what she did to John's house." He says with a grin. "I know jack shit about architecture but I'm pretty sure that shit was only staying up cause of the game." 

It seems like Dirk is relaxing, which is nice. It's a stark contrast to their discussion on the roof- they had both been awkward, but Dirk had been so flat until he started talking about Bro- and looking back on it it's clear he had been  _ nervous _ . 

Dave thinks about how Dirk had  _ thanked _ him for being honest and blunt with him. Wonders if anyone ever did that with Bro.

Dirk chuckles, just a little. "Noted. I guess we'll have to figure out what to be in charge of." He thinks for a second then more softly says, "Or not in charge of. At this point it's probably best if I leave the 'being in charge' shit to someone else." 

Not like he had done such a great job being 'in charge' so far. He'd just help out where he was needed. Stay out of where he wasn't. Doesn't need to be more complex than that.

Well. That was a massive flag if Dave's ever heard one. Probably a couple of different ways he could response, but what ends up coming out of his mouth is, "being in charge's overrated." 

He squeezes Dirk around the shoulder lightly. The contact is nice, and from the way Dirk isn't pulling away, Dave is pretty sure Dirk thinks so too. "Pretty sure I'd fucking lose it if anyone tried appointing me as leader now that we're out of the game. Fuck that. I don't give a shit- at this point I'd take orders from  _ John _ and be happy because hey, at least I'm not the one in charge and I don't have to pretend like I know what to do and that I have a plan."

_ Being in charge's overrated. _

The sentence hit Dirk like a ton of bricks and he was in kind of a stunned silence as he listened to the rest of Dave's spiel. 

It could be as simple as that. He could just sit back and not care and be  _ grateful _ for not being in charge. 

The game was over. He didn't have to keep an eye on Roxy in Derse. He didn't have to keep his AI in line. He didn't have to impress Jake. He didn't have to do  _ anything _ . 

He goes kind of boneless and falls backward onto the ground, unthinkingly taking Dave's arm with him. 

"Fuck," he says. And then he laughs, like, really laughs, from deep in his chest until tears spring to his eyes.

Dave catches the shift of Dirk's expression to something slack and surprised and Dave worries for a half moment that he said something bad- but then Dirk's falling backwards and  _ whoops _ Dave is still side-hugging him so down he goes, with a uncool little squawk of surprise, but Dirk is laughing, looking up at the sky, and it's  _ really _ laughing, not just coolguy chuckling. 

Bro never laughed. 

Dave doesn't think he's ever caught him cracking more than the tiniest,  _ tiniest _ smile of approval. 

And here's Dirk, smiling,  _ laughing _ \- 

Dave grins, hugging his brother (and he is, Dirk's his brother. They're Striders. They're  _ kin _ , regardless of how weird and strange their biological connection may be-) and says "the idea of John leading is that funny, huh?"

Dirk lifts his shades to wipe tears from his eyes, his laughter calming and his face falling back to neutral. "Something like that. I guess it's all sinking in. The game's over.  _ Everything's _ over. I don't have to do anything. It feels great? And terrible, like I'm on the edge of existential dread, but that's nothing new." 

He tilts his head to look at Dave. "I'm so shit at this. I came out here to make sure  _ you _ were okay, and now you're the one who's basically kickstarted my new lease on life, if I don't find a way to sabotage myself out of it. Are you feeling any better, or am I the only one who's reaped lightning round rewards?"

Dave exhales, but there's no melancholy to the tone, just a rush of air. "It sure fucking is, my dude." He says. 

He shakes his head though, looking right back at Dirk. "I guess it's my turn to package up the cheese-wiz- between the two of us we'll keep the entire empire going for sure." 

He pushes back up to a sitting position, swinging around to cross his legs criss-cross-apple-sauce style, looking down at his brother. 

"Not gonna lie," Dave starts, "I've got a bunch of shit in my head that you don't really need to hear about. Which makes me think that you've got a bunch of shit in  _ your _ head that you think that  _ everyone else _ don't need to hear about." Dave gives a little shrug. "Just the fact of hearing you like- fuck, I dunno- open up or some other equally therapeutic-sounding phrase that wouldn't be out of place coming from fuckin' Rose, makes me feel a bit better cause wow."

He reaches over and lightly squishes his knuckles against Dirk's cheek. "Pretty sure we both got major issues, dude, and I've had a couple of years to at least  _ start _ sorting out mine. Something tells me you haven't even gotten the chance to  _ look _ at yours yet- and hearin' about them from you- it's a bit of a relief, or something." 

Dave pauses. "Was that too real? I feel like that was too real."

Dirk turns his head to look at Dave, unintentionally leaning into the touch. 

Or maybe intentionally. 

Who knows. He's curious about what else Dave has in his head, though he knows better than to pry. 

"Nah, that was just the right level of real," he says. "I have plenty of shit to sort out and I guess eternity to do it. I see many more late night cliff edge talks in our future." He smirks. 

Dirk looks back up at the sky. He wants to keep laying there, keep talking to Dave, maybe even get him to open up about more shit. Maybe even hug him for real rather than letting himself be hugged or just awkwardly half hugging back. 

He stays laying down, though. Thinking about destiny and his brother and his alt-self and what could have been if it wasn't for the game. 

"The trolls really don't have soulmarks, huh?" he asks, belatedly realizing that the thought seemingly came from nowhere.

Dirk stays laying down, so fuck it. It's Strider Ground Chilling Time. Dave swings back around to lie back down next to Dirk. The ground is flat enough that it's not horribly uncomfortable, but Dave probably wouldn't care even if it cause cause he's just chilling with Dirk. 

The idea of more clifftop chats though- that sounds surprisingly appealing. Just chilling and jamming and talking about whatever- yeah. It sounds nice. 

"Yeah, Karkat says they don't have anything even like soulmarks." Dave says. "I guess they have their own messy complicated romance system so thats how  _ their _ love lives are stupidly complicated, but- yeah. No soulmarks."

"All our society's focus on them. About finding your soulmate. It really was all for nothing, huh? I mean I guess I already knew that. Jane, Roxy, Jake and I all had different soulmarks, so obviously there had to be something wrong with them. Not to mention-- Well, I guess I always knew it didn't really matter. You said Rose and Kanaya have a good thing going, so I guess there's hope for the rest of us whatever  _ that _ looks like." 

He did not mean to be talking about soulmates quite so long, but he supposes he really is the heart player of the bunch, even if that never did him any favors.

"I guess for us, yeah. Probably." Dave says, and determinedly doesn't think about seeing his soulmark on a dead man. "Like- if it's not someone in our group, it's probably someone who's long dead at this point, on our old planets- cause I am  _ not _ thinking about the idea of one of the future humans on our new planet being my soulmate if they're all going to be descended from us because that is fucking  _ weird _ ." 

Dave looks over at Dirk, his brow furrowing a bit. "Yeah, I suppose it would be... I guess pointless for you, if none of your soulmarks matched. With us," meaning him, John, Rose, and Jade of course, "there was the idea that we'd meet them someday- I guess that was never even an option for you, yeah?"

He schools his face at the comment on hypothetical soulmate descendants then mulls over the rest of what Dave said. 

"I knew mine could never match anyway," Dirk says softly. He thinks for a moment, then says, "While we're having this hear to heart about soulmates, can I tell you something kind of fucked up? Before I change my mind and never want to bring it up again?" He looks at Dave and smirks, trying to keep things lighter than they are.

Something kind of fucked up? "Hit me, dude." Dave says. "We're Striders, fucked up is like the backbone of our lives. Pretty sure whatever you've got, I'm got something equally fucked up to match."

Dirk takes a long breath in and out. "My Bro was my soulmate. Saw it in the back of his neck in all the footage of him I could find. Sburb gave me a soulmate, and out him hundreds of years in the past because that's the kind of fucked up game it is. So I guess it's kind of a relief to know it doesn't mean everything is hopeless. I figured that had to be even partially why Jake and I didn't work out, but maybe that had nothing to do with it." 

He keeps an eye on Dave, just glancing to gauge his reaction. "I know that must be weird to hear." Dirk hopes he didn't just fuck up their bonding time, but it felt weird to keep stepping around it.

_ My Bro was my soulmate. _

Dave locks his immediate response behind his teeth, at the dizzying feeling of his heart kicking up. The back of his neck suddenly feels hot- but Dave doesn't move to touch it. 

It's not- It's not possible, is it? 

"That's pretty fucked up." Dave agrees. "I guess it's not the  _ weirdest _ thing I've ever heard." He needs to know. 

His neck is  _ throbbing _ . 

"Can I- do you care? Showing me, I mean?" It's so so so fucking rude to just  _ ask _ to see someone's soulmark, it's fucking  _ bearing their soul _ to someone else- but maybe Dirk doesn't know that? or maybe he will but won't care, will do it anyway?

Dirk has a hard time parsing Dave's reaction. He seems a bit in edge, and Dirk is worried he overstepped, but he asks to see his mark so that's a good sign, right? 

More bonding. 

He works the glove off of his right hand and tosses it next to him, idly wondering if another one would magic out of nothing if he lost it. He takes a second to admire his own mark (he always thought it was cool) then shows it to Dave. 

A red bird pierced by an orange sword, wreathed by violets. "Pretty cool, right? If pointless." He wants to ask Dave for his, but he figures if Dave wants to show him, he will, and he doesn't want to pry. This was already weird enough, the moment feeling oddly intimate.

"Yeah." Dave says, feeling a bit faint. "That is pretty cool. And a hell of a... fuck, I dunno, coincidence? Screwball by fate?" 

His hand goes to the back of his neck. He swallows. 

Fuck, what the hell? Maybe he should have guessed- same universe but flipped on it's head, right? It makes sense that Dirk would have... would be... 

Fuck. What does he have to lose? 

Well, a lot, Dave guesses, but- fuck it, Strider luck right? 

"Cause." Dave says falteringly, trying to sort his words in the right order. "My Bro... had mine."

Dirk sits up at that, leaning on his forearms and he looks Dave up and down. 

A million things were going through his head. Was he raised knowing Bro, who put him through some shit, was his soulmate? Is that part of what fucked him up so much about the dude? Was this just a coincidence or were Striders just fated to have dead soulmates? Was there anything about sburb that  _ wasn't _ fucked up? 

"No shit," he says finally. "Can I see it?" He wondered if theirs were similar, since they were Striders with the same sort of connection, or if they were vastly different. "Do you want to talk about it? I know you two didn't have... The best relationship." Understatement of the century.

"Yeah," Dave says, but doesn't move. His hand still on the back of his neck. "I- yeah, uh. I didn't find out about it until. After he died, and... I don't know if that makes his actions  _ better _ or... worse. Knowing he  _ knew _ about his mark and never... did anything." 

Dave swallows thickly. He hasn't even told Karkat about this. Yeah, a lot of other shit about Bro he did- but not... this. He's a troll. He wouldn't  _ get _ it. 

"I was so fucking desperate for his approval." Dave says quietly. "I- If he had ever- I think I would have fucking  _ jumped _ at the chance to make him happy. I wouldn't have even  _ hesitated _ ." 

"But not once did he- not even a fucking hint. I guess it's like  _ wow, good job, you fucked your little brother up, but at least you didn't fucking  _ **_ bad touch him! _ ** " Dave realizes his voice has risen and it cracks on his last words. 

He slams his mouth shut and looks away. Still holding his neck.

Dirk sits up fully, legs crossed facing Dave. He feels sick. He hadn't even considered that. Fuck. Thank fuck his alt self wasn't  _ that _ bad he guesses, but he feels terrible even thinking that. 

He hesitantly reaches out a hand and places it on Dave's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried. You don't have to show me or anything. We can drop this here, if you want." He realizes he's touching him with his soulmark hand and he regrets the motion, but doesn't take it back in case the touch  _ does _ help somehow.

Dirk's touch on his shoulder makes him shudder and breathe out. "No, I- sorry. I shouldn't have dumped that on you." He says, wincing, but he shakes his head. "I- here. You... you should see it." He slowly shifts, pulls his hand away, tugging the fabric down. Showing the same, identical mark on Dirk's hand.  
His heart is trying to slam out of his ribs, waiting for Dirk's response to seeing his soulmark on Dave.

For a split second Dirk is curious at the movement. How odd that Dave's mark was in the same spot as his bro's-- but the he sees it and his breath is knocked out of him. 

He touches it, without really thinking, fingers ghosting over it like he can't believe it's real. And he can't. But he can easily look between his own mark and Dave's and there's no denying it's the exact same mark, not a detail out of place. 

He doesn't know how long he sits there, staring at it, touching it, but eventually he realizes he needs to say something. "You're my soulmate." The words are full of shock and a dash of hope. Then he processes it further, realizing how painful this must be for Dave. Dirk was already a reminder of Bro, of a painful childhood, of a dead guardian. This must make that even worse. 

But he was his  _ soulmate _ and he couldn't deny the thrill, the  _ joy _ in his veins at the thought of it. Sburb hadn't taken away his chance at happiness. It had just come in the weird, roundabout way Sburb was known to operate in. 

But, again, what if Dave didn't see it that way? 

"Are you... okay?"

Dirk touches his mark and Dave shivers. It feels-  _ weird _ for someone else to be touching him there- no one's ever done it. 

But at the same time, it feels...  _ right _ . 

He breathes slowly, waiting for Dirk's response- and it comes, breathless and..  _ hopeful _ . Surprised, maybe- but... positive. 

Dave feels- well, he's not really sure what he feels. Dirk is asking him if he's okay, and his hand is still on Dave's neck, and Dave is looking at Dirk, at his brother. His brother who grew up alone, knowing his soulmate was long dead. His brother who goes stiff under any touch- like how Dave did before three years with an incredibly physically affectionate troll made him relaxed and more comfortable in his own skin. 

"You're not Bro," Dave says quietly, reaching up and putting his hand over Dirk's, "and I'm not going to treat you like him. You're my brother- and my soulmate. Even if our older brothers had our marks- they're gone. It doesn't matter. We're both here, right now, and I am pretty fucking sure that like goddamn mushrooms- we are both not going anywhere." 

Dave looks at Dirk. Looks at his face- at the handsome slope of his features. Looks at his mouth. Looks at his wiry form, how he's skinny- but he's not  _ slender _ like a girl would be- he's got a faint ripple of muscles across his body from a lifetime of training. 

Dave thinks about kissing him.

Dirk's heart is pounding hard and painful in his chest at Dave's words. The reassurance he's not Bro. The acknowledgment that they're soulmates, that they'll stick together. Dave's hand over his own. 

This was real. He could have this. He could have this one goddamned thing in his life go right. He could have his soulmate, his brother, not the one he never knew, the one he had idolized, but the one who was here, solid under his touch. The one who gave him perspective on who he was and reassured him he was a good person. 

Dave's neck feels hot against his hand, and the one on his is reassuring. He can't see Dave's eyes, so he can only hope he's reading the situation right from his words, from his touch. He leans in, his nose brushing against Dave's, their breath mingling, and he waits to see if Dave will close the gap or push him off.

Dirk doesn't say anything- but there's a furrow to his brow, his hand flexing slightly on Dave's neck. 

Dave watches the shape of his mouth as Dirk leans in. Slowly, like he's not sure he's allowed to- his lips parting slightly. 

Dave can feel Dirk's breath on his face. He thinks about trying to rearrange Bro's body to be more at peace out of some childish idea of paying last respects and his glove slipping down. He thinks about the cold shock of seeing Bro's mark- and the dizzying feeling of staggering away to puke, his stomach rolling at the realization of finding his soulmate and losing his soulmate all in one go- and that it was  _ Bro _ . 

He thinks about Dirk, trying to claim Bro's actions and apologize for them. He thinks about Dirk saying  _ I can see how an unchecked version of me could turn into that. _ He thinks about Dirk saying how he shouldn't be in charge anymore. 

Dave stops thinking. He leans in and fits their mouths together.

This was nothing like what he did with Jake. The feeling was immediate and electric and his other hand found Dave's waist and pulled him in closer. He kissed desperately, like this was his only chance, like any minute the world would come crashing down around them. 

He didn't think about how he fantasized about this moment with an alternate Dave, he just thought about the Dave in front of him. The softness of his body, the taste of his lips. Dirk's tongue darted out to taste more, not pressing forward, still hesitant like one wrong move would end this for good. 

But reeled himself in from thinking two steps of head, of things that  _ could _ happen. What was happening is Dave was kissing him and Dirk was holding his soulmate and the universe had finally come through for him.

The press of their mouths together is warm and soft and it makes Dave's stomach feel like it's full of electrified butterflies. Dirk presses into the kiss, his hand finding Dave's waist and pulling him in- and Dave can't help the sharp inhale as the butterflies flutter harder, every inch of himself feeling like it's coming  _ alive _ , lit up like an exposed wire. 

Then there's the tiniest little swipe of a tongue across his lip and everything  _ crystallizes _ into a heady clench in his gut. 

Dave can't bring himself to think about anything other than pressing into the kiss, pressing into Dirk. His hand leaves Dirk's and finds Dirk's hair, sinking his fingers in and pulling him closer as his tongue slides out and licks at Dirk's mouth in return, his other hand finding Dirk's waist. 

Dave's a teenage boy, he's felt turned on before. He's looked at people and thought  _ I wonder what kissing you feels like _ . He's jerked off to the idea of touching people, kissing them- so this is familiar, in an almost-deja-vu way, the pricklings of desire starting to spill into him. 

Dave pulls back abruptly, staring at Dirk. "Are you okay with- Is this okay?" He blurts out, lightly squeezing Dirk's waist. His hands are itching with the desire that's bubbling up- he wants to slide his hands under Dirk's godtier pajamas and touch across his skin, he wants to put his tongue in Dirk's mouth and never take it back.

It takes all of Dirk's power not to moan when Dave grips his hair and licks back. Nothing could have prepared him for how good and right this feels. 

He wants more, so much more. He thinks maybe nothing will ever be enough, but this is a start and it's good and-- 

Dave breaks away and Dirk stares at him, refocusing and realizing maybe he wanted too much but then Dave asks if it's okay and Dirk almost laughs. 

He takes off his shades and sets them carefully off to the side then puts both hands on Dave's waist and says, "This is perfect," then kisses him again.

Dirk slips his shades off and Dave's heart lurches at the sight of his brilliant orange eyes. Then Dirk's holding his waist and kissing him again. 

It's so fucking goddamn perfect that Dave almost can't help himself- his hands sink right on back into Dirk's hair- both of them this time- and he holds Dirk close as he licks his way into Dirk's mouth. 

Fuck- he feel so fucking warm, like he could combust at any moment- and his dick is  _ very _ much getting interested in the current proceedings. Is that too much? Dave would feel weird if their first time was ten minutes after finding out they were soulmates while lying down on a rocky cliffside. 

Maybe that's not weird at all. Dave doesn't really care- he just doesn't want to stop touching Dirk.

Dirk can't hold it back this time. He moans as Dave's hands find his hair again and his tongue slips into his mouth. He licks and sucks at it and his hands slip under Dave's shirt and feel up the bare skin of his lower back. 

He wasn't sure how far Dave had gone before, but this was quickly hurtling past how far he and Jake had gotten. Part of him wishes they were somewhere more comfortable, even if all they did was make out some more, but he also felt there was something poetic about them desperately kissing and grabbing at each other on a cliffside after a lighting round. 

But maybe he should figure out just how far they  _ were _ going to go. 

His hands traveled farther up Dave's back, lifting his shirt slightly with it. A suggestion that it could come off, but not a push to make it happen.

Dirk moans, a heady noise that sends a dizzying wave of heat through Dave. He sucks on Dave's tongue and licks back at him- and it's so much fucking better than Dave could have imagined. He's got his soulmate in his arms- and kissing him feels  _ incredible _ . 

So he licks and licks into Dirk's mouth, wanting to feel their tongues tangling together- because every wet press is a pleasurable glide. 

"Dirk." Dave breathes as Dirk's hands dip up under his shirt hem. "C'mere- Whatever you want, we can." He reaches for his shades and slips them off with only the tiniest hesitation- and then he can see how handsome Dirk's eyes really are. 

Next goes his shirt, and then Dave's burying his hand in Dirk's hair again and kissing him. It's dizzying, a delicious brush of mouths and tongues.

The sound of Dave saying Dirk's name sends a thrill up his spine. 

"Want everything," he says between kissing and heavy breaths. "Want  _ you. _ " 

He breaks away to take his own shirt and other glove off and takes a moment to really look at Dave through heavy lids, unimpeded by his shades. He's beautiful. Flushed cheeks, swollen lips from kissing, bright red eyes framed by soft long lashes. Perfect. 

Dirk presses back against Dave, relishing the skin to skin contact. He kisses at Dave's lips, then his jaw, then his neck, then his collarbone, then back to his lips. He  _ does _ want everything of Dave. He wants to consume and be consumed.

Dirk pulls back to strip his own shirt off and that's it- Dave is gonna take this as far as Dirk wants to- which is apparently  _ everything _ . 

That's dizzying to think about, so Dave doesn't. He's tired of thinking. 

So Dave pulls Dirk back in when he comes in for another kiss- and then Dirk is kissing over his face, neck, shoulders- each press making Dave moan softly in enjoyment. 

As Dirk kisses him again, Dave pushes forwards, pressing Dirk down onto his back, following him down, one of his legs slotted between Dirk's as he kisses Dirk firmly. Each slide of their tongues  _ clenches _ somewhere deep in Dave's gut, their mingling breath hot and heady. 

His head is spinning as he pulls back to give Dirk the exact same treatment- kissing over his face, his neck, nipping at his shoulder- as Dave's free hand slides along Dirk's torso (his other being used to prop himself up).

"Dirk." He murmurs, voice feeling rough. "Fuck, you're so goddamn hot." It's true- he hadn't actually  _ looked _ at Dirk in that way before today, but Dirk is almost  _ unfairly _ hot.

Dave's soft little moans go straight to Dirk's dick. He lets himself be pushed back and when Dave fits his leg between Dirk's, Dirk practically instinctively grinds against it. 

He groans as Dave kisses and nips at him. Taking off their shirts was Dirk's best idea yet. Ten out of ten. Would do again. 

And, God, he could die happy every time Dave says his name, low and needy. 

He cups a hand against Dave's face, his thumb stroking his cheek. "I'm the one who should be saying that. Fuck, Dave, just looking at you is driving me crazy." He punctuates his sentence with another grind of his dick against Dave's leg.

Dirk grinds up against him with a groan and Dave shudders at the sound. Just the press of their skin together feels hot, makes Dave light up like fireworks on the fourth of fucking July. 

"Christ." Dave breathes, pressing his cheek into Dirk's hand. "Come here." He presses back in for another kiss, their teeth clacking together awkwardly but Dave can't bring himself to care, not with the way that Dirk's lower lip fits so perfectly in Dave's mouth. He experimentally presses his thigh up against Dirk, feeling the length of his- 

Wow. Yeah, it just clicked that that's his  _ dick _ pressing against Dave's thigh. It feels searingly hot and Dave really really really  _ really _ wants to feel even more of it.

Dirk wraps his arms around Dave, holding him close while his hands feel up and down his back. He kisses and grinds and he wants more, more,  _ more _ . One hand slips under the band of his pants and grabs at his ass, pulling Dave closer against him as his dick begs for more friction. 

"Dave," he says breathlessly. "Need you." 

Full sentences were for people who  _ weren't _ basically dry humping their soulmate.

Dave gasps in surprise as his ass is grabbed and his hips jolt forwards, the two of them grinding together in a delicious slide that has stars bursting behind his eyes. 

"Holy shit." Dave breathes and he's grinding forwards against Dirk, against his dick, rocking the two of them together, pressing Dirk into the ground. "Christ, okay, yeah- yeah fuck it- how do you wanna do this?" 

He's pressing kisses to Dirk's neck between his words, licking and nipping at his soft skin.

Dirk considers this for a moment, hard to focus under Dave's kissing, and his face heating up at the possibilities before him. But he knows what he wants. He wants to be  _ wrecked. _

"Fuck me," he says, practically  _ whines _ as he feels Dave's cock rub against him through his god tier pants.

_ Fuck me _ . The words are light a jolt of lightning through Dave and he groans roughly. "Okay, fuck- fuck, yeah- who gives a shit." He babbles, rocking their hips together. "Who am I to deny my handsome fucking soulmate, if we wants to get fucked on a cliffside then god dammit I'll give it to him-" 

He claims Dirk's mouth again, nipping at his lip, licking into his mouth, feeling feverish and hungry as he ruts against Dirk, his hands dragging down Dirk's sides. 

"Okay, okay okay-" Dave pulls back, panting. "Get- pants off-" He moves back enough to let Dirk takes his goddamn pants off which is for his own sake too, sucking in deep breaths of cool air away from the dizzying heat that had built between their bodies.

Dave's rambling is so fucking cute except it's about fucking him which turns it into hot and goes straight to his dick. He kisses Dave back desperately and lets out a little whine as Dave breaks away, but he quickly scrambles out of his pants, tossing them with the rest of his clothes. 

He looks Dave up and down in admiration. Softer around the edges than he expected, but he  _ had _ been chilling on a meteor for three years, and honestly it only added to his attractiveness. Made him more singularly  _ Dave _ . 

But now that he's had a chance to breathe his horny brain has calmed down just a bit and he had a chance to be really fucking nervous about what's about to go down. He's a virgin, he and Jake just always had an awkward air between them, even when things were well, so he never got this far. He thinks Dave is, too, but he has no idea. What if he does something wrong? What if he fucks up everything by being bad in bed-- or, well, on cliffside? 

He reaches out to touch Dave and ground himself, grabbing his arm and just breathing.

Dirk yanks his pants off with an  _ adorable _ noise, what the fuck- it's a little desperate and it hits Dave like a cupid's arrow. 

Christ. Goddamn. What the fuck. Dirk is so- he's so fucking  _ cool _ and he's ready to shiver apart for Dave and that's incredibly fucking hot, it's like he gets his own little part of Dirk that no one else has seen, and that makes Dave shudder, just the  _ idea _ of getting Dirk all to him-fucking-self. 

Dirk settles his hand on Dave's arm, his expression just the tiniest bit apprehensive and Dave puts his hand over Dirk's for a moment, squeezing lightly. 

"You good?" He asks softly, moving back in, leaning over Dirk. "We can stop if it's too much."

Dirk shakes his head. "I'm fine. I'm just getting too into my head, you know?" He takes a few relaxing breaths, focusing on the feeling of Dave's hand on his, and looks into Dave's bright red eyes. He smiles, just a little. This was  _ Dave _ . Everything would be fine. He wasn't going to fuck this up. "I'm fine," he repeats, more confidently this time.

"Yeah, I get that." Dave says, watching Dirk breath pointedly to relax. He gives Dirk a little nod- if he says he's fine, then he's fine- so he scoots back in, giving Dirk a little smile in return. 

"Hey, put those legs around my waist-" Dave pauses, then scrunches up his nose. "I can't think of a pet name that doesn't sound weird." He laughs a little, leaning in to kiss Dirk as he guides Dirk's legs up around his hips, still clothed by his pants. He shifts, and then Dirk's cock is trapped between their bellies. "Hey there, sugar legs." Dave teases with a grin on his face, close to breaking out into outright laughs. 

"Lemme get some of that loving,  _ hot cheeks _ ."

Dirk grabs Dave's face in his hands and looks at him seriously. "If you keep this up, I am absolutely not going to let you fuck me...  _ sweet tits _ ," he says as he wraps his legs tight around Dave's waist.

Dave laughs, "okay, okay." He says, leaning in and kissing Dirk lightly. "Does that mean all pet names are off the table?" He asks, giving a rock forwards of his hips against Dirk. 

God he feels- he feels  _ something _ , with this beautiful boy underneath him how could he not? His heart is tight and light and pounding like crazy all at once, all together.

Dirk considers this for a moment, still having a hard time thinking with the kisses and the touches and the  _ grinding _ . He takes a shuddering breath and says, "As long as you don't fuckin call me hot cheeks again." Truth is, he'd probably let Dave call him whatever the fuck he wanted as long as he kept touching him. 

He rocks back up and pulled Dave down to kiss him again. Talking was nice, and they could definitely do more talking, but Dirk was far more interested in other uses for their mouths right now.

Dave can work with that. He grins as Dirk pulls him back down, and  _ yes _ he is definitely on board with this. Kissing Dirk feels  _ good _ and every slide of their mouths is just so goddamn delightful that Dave would like to keep doing this forever, please. 

Or maybe not forever because he can feel Dirk's cock between their stomachs, hard and waiting. So Dave kisses Dirk for a minute longer. "Shit, uh-" He glances through his sylladex and grimaces. "Don't think I have anything that could be used as lube." He says.

_ Shit. _

Dirk looks through his sylladex and... Well, it's not a  _ great _ option, but... "I have vaseline," he offers as he pops it out of his sylladex. He'd have to be better prepared for next time. 

_ Next time. _ Fuck, there was going to be a next time! Okay, no, Dirk has to focus on  _ this _ time and his Probably Shouldn't Be Used As Lube But God He Wants Dave's Dick So Bad So Who Cares scenario.

Dave takes the tub and snorts. "Well, it's better than nothing, right?" He says, and takes the top off, shoving a couple of fingers into it and then rubbing them together. 

He looks down at Dirk and realizes  _ wow okay holy shit I'm nervous _ . He knows the  _ theory _ of fucking a dude, and of course he's fingered himself before (what healthy, normal, maybe-questioning guy hasn't?) but this is  _ his fucking soulmate _ holy shit. 

"Okay- okay, yeah, okay just- tell me if anything feels bad, yeah?" Dave says, shifting a little and finally letting his attention go  _ down there _ . Reaching his fingers between Dirk's (very very very nice) ass cheeks, and  _ wow _ yeah holy shit that's Dirk's asshole under his fingers and Dave feels like he's going to burst into fire with how hot his face feels.

Dirk nods. "Okay, yeah, of course." He sees his own nervousness reflected on Dave's face and that reassures him somewhat. 

Part of him wants to look away from what Dave is doing, but his eyes are locked on the sight of his brother, his  _ soulmate _ lowering his lubed up fingers to his ass. He feels Dave prod at his hole and lets out a soft sigh. He'd fingered himself, of course, but having someone else, having  _ Dave _ do it felt almost completely different. It was a little strange, but wonderful. 

He does his best to keep himself still instead of rocking into the movement. Let Dave go at this at his own pace.

Well- shit, guess he better go for it before he gets cold feet. He presses a finger into Dirk and wow yeah it really is completely different, fingering someone else instead of himself. When Dave fingered himself it was more about feeling his own fingers inside of him but now he's... feeling the  _ inside _ of Dirk. 

Fucking weird. 

He wiggles his finger a bit, and the Vaseline is- well it certainly does the job, but it's not as smooth as some other things. It's kinda.... hot, actually, a tiny bit of drag on his finger in and out of Dirk. 

"God, you're so fucking hot." Dave breathes. "I mean, like-" He immediately fumbles over his words, "of course you are, you're a Strider, but- goddamn dude."

Dirk gives a low groan when Dave's finger passes his rim, and he doesn't stop himself from rocking further down on it this time. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it feels different,  _ better _ than anything he's done before, and Dave's just getting started. 

Dave is rambling a little, and honestly it was kind of hot to hear him stumble over telling Dirk  _ he _ was hot. He wants to say something back, to encourage it, to say how he feels the same, but he's so focused on the finger in his ass and how fucking  _ hard _ he is, he's not sure he'll make much sense. 

He reaches a hand out and runs it through Dave's hair. "You, too. Fuck. Keep going."

Okay. Okay okay. Dave can't stop feeling like he's combusting. Or short-circuiting. Or  _ something _ . He's got a finger inside of Dirk and he can feel Dirk clenching around it and everything is really really warm. 

Dirk runs his hand through Dave's hair and yeah Dave did not think he could be any  _ more _ on board with this than he could be but holy shit yes. 

"Alright." Dave says. "Yeah- okay, fuck." He's like a goddamn broken record but he pushes another finger into Dirk and starts trying to coax him open, wanting to make him feel good. "You think- a third? Maybe? Or just two for a bit?"

Dirk's breath catches when Dave pushes a second finger into him. He's not sure his dick can get any harder as it lays leaking against his stomach. Part of him wants to reach down and stroke it but mostly he just wants to focus on what Dave is doing to him. 

Dave asks if he can take another and Dirk doesn't particularly care whether he can or not. "More," he says, almost a moan. He needs more of Dave. Needs to get ready for Dave's cock.  _ Dave's cock. _ The thought sends a shiver through him.

_ More _ , Dirk says, his voice thick with pleasure, and Dave doesn't think- he just pushes a third finger right into Dirk. 

"God." He breathes. "Fuck-" Dirk is so tight and  _ rippling _ around his fingers- is that a word he can use? Dave doesn't care, he's using it anyway. Every flex of Dirk's muscles- he can feel it around his fingers. 

Dave is so fucking hard right now. 

He shifts and twists his fingers into Dirk, trying to remember what felt good when he fingered himself. Experimentally, he fucks his fingers slowly in and out of Dirk a couple of times, then tugs at his rim, trying to see what makes him feel good.

Dirk lets out a shuddering breath as Dave fucks his fingers into him and grips Dave's hair. The vaseline isn't as smooth as he had hoped, and he can really feel that now with three fingers in him, but the slight discomfort from that feels oddly good. 

But the slow strokes tease him more than anything, and as much as he loves the tugs on is rim, it's not enough. 

"Fuck, Dave, harder. Not gu--not gunna fucking  _ break _ ."

Dave swallows. His palms feel damp. Holy shit this is so uncool of him he needs to pull it together. 

"Okay." He says, is he saying okay too much? Oh god. Okay, he needs to stop talking right now. He goes up on his knees to lean forwards and kiss Dirk again, yes, this is a  _ much _ better use of his mouth. The new angle makes his wrists feel weird, but he's moving and rocking his fingers into Dirk harder now- 

Dirk's hands are in his hair and that gives Dave an idea- he sinks  _ his _ hand into  _ Dirk's _ hair and tugs, tilting his head up. 

"Shit, you care about- marks?" Dave breathlessly asks, pressing his mouth to Dirk's neck.

Oh yes oh fuck yes Dave is kissing him and finger fucking him harder and  _ fuck _ his hands are in his hair and tugging and -- Dirk rocks his hips up, searching for friction that isn't there and chasing Dave's fingers. He barely registers Dave's question, but once he does, once he connects that to where Dave's mouth  _ is _ \-- 

"I have never cared about marks less in my fucking life holy shit mark me up please for the love of  _ god _ !" He slams his mouth shut, realizing he's rambling and was about to start babbling on how he and  _ Dave _ are gods so for the love of them? Whatever! Didn't matter! Focus back on the present.

Dirk's words send heat  _ searing _ down Dave's spine, holy shit- okay, fuck everything else. Dave latches his mouth onto Dirk's neck, licking and nipping and he feels like a man fucking  _ possessed _ as he sinks his teeth into Dirk's shoulder. 

Dave doesn't know if he's  _ ever _ felt like this when jerking off, this- this  _ hunger _ , this heat in his body, urging him on. He lets go and kisses over the ring of teeth marks in Dirk's shoulder. 

"Fuck- okay, shit, yeah- okay, I can't hold off anymore- I  _ gotta _ get my dick in you." Dave blurts out. "You're too fucking hot dude, holy shit-" 

He feels like an idiot as he pulls his fingers out of Dirk and yanks his pants down, fumbling for the Vaseline and grabbing a glob and rubbing it over his dick which, yeah, holy shit that feels  _ so _ fucking weird. 

Dirk is so so fucking into this it's clear- so Dave just scoots a little more into place and grabs his dick and- with his eyes locked on Dirk, chest heaving from the force of his breathing- pushes his dick into his soulmate.

Dirk gasps and moans as Dave bites him and oh fuck guess  _ that's _ a kink he has because he's almost disappointed when Dave stops to kiss him and talk and -- 

Oh wait Dirk's brain is catching up with what's being said and he feels his dick twitch because Dave is so fucking into this, into  _ him _ . He doesn't know if it's just because they're soulmates and he doesn't particularly care because the head of Dave's dick is pressing past his rim and it's so much. 

Dirk bites his lip and clutches onto Dave's shoulders and practically  _ whines _ as Dave presses into him. He's breathing heavily, unsteadily, gasping as Dave fills him up. He wishes he had been in the right headspace to think to look before Dave started fucking him, to see what his cock looked like, because it felt amazing. Not too big but sure as fuck not small. 

He feels his ass clench around the intrusion and it sends shivers of pleasure up his spine, despite how strange it still feels to have something filling him. 

"So-- so good. Dave-- fuck," is all he manages to get out.

Dave's brain is a mantra of  _ holyshitholyshit _ and he's pretty sure if he opens his mouth that's what will come out so instead he just sinks his teeth into Dirk's shoulder again and listens to the fucking  _ whine _ Dirk makes and holyshit Dirk is clenching around him. 

Dave has to stop and take a deep breath by the time he's got half his dick into Dirk. He's pretty sure that he's going to fucking bust his nut immediately if he tries to do literally anything right now because Dirk is  _ squeezing _ around him. 

He pulls back and looks down at Dirk, one hand planted on the ground to keep himself up. 

"Holy shit." He says faintly. "I- goddamn-" He's literally at a loss for words. "Just- gimme a moment." He takes another deep breath, then another, until he doesn't feel quite as shaky, quite as about to blow. 

"Okay. Okay." Dave breathes. "Lemme-" He doesn't finish that thought because he's pressing the rest of the way in, into Dirk.

Dirk is nothing but sensations. The dick in his ass. The teeth on his shoulder. His hands on Dave. 

Dave is saying something and Dirk looks at him and oh  _ God _ he looks well on his way to wrecked. Dirk does his best to stay still and let Dave recover and then Dave is pressing into him  _ more _ . 

Dirk lets out a long, shuddering breath until Dave is seated all the way inside him, his hips pressed to Dirk's ass. Then he wraps his legs around Dave's waist and grinds his ass into Dave's dick just to feel it a little more before Dave starts moving. 

"Dave," he gasps, unable to day much else. "Hnn-- fuck." Part if him wished he could day something more than whimpered words, but he supposes this will have to do.

Dirk wraps his legs around him and rocks into him and Dave hisses a little at the throb that goes through him. 

"Holy shit." He breathes. "Fuck, I- I'm  _ really _ not gonna last long, Dirk." His hips are moving, though, are pushing into Dirk, rocking a bit and pressing his dick in as far as it'll go. 

"Shit-" He gasps, stopping, his heart is fucking  _ pounding _ . He needs to fucking distract himself with  _ something _ \- 

Dirk's mouth is right there, so Dave leans in and kisses him again, nipping and biting at his lips, his hips twitching and rocking a little into Dirk, clumsy and uncoordinated.

The thought of Dave being this close to cumming is so fucking hot Dirk just presses him deeper into him, rocking to meet his shallow thrusts and encouraging him. "Don't care. Do it," he manages to get out before Dave's lips are on him. 

Dirk isn't going to last long, either, especially with the way Dirk is kissing him, all teeth. All Dirk can do is kiss back and moan into Dave's mouth. His fingers are digging into Dave's back as though he could fuse them together with enough pressure.

' _ Do it _ .' 

Fuck- Dirk just wants him to fucking go for it- Dave groans against Dirk's mouth and grabs at Dirk's legs and pulls back- then he's shifting forwards and holy shit he's actually fucking Dirk, clumsy and trying to find a rhythm, wanting Dirk to feel good- the  _ drag _ of his dick feels fucking  _ incredible _ , slippery but  _ not _ with the Vaseline. 

"Fuck-" He pants , "god, shit-  _ Dirk _ \- holy shit-" He roughly shoves his mouth against Dirk's again, his hands grabbing at any part of Dirk he can touch, wanting to  _ feel _ him, wanting to drag his marks into Dirk's skin.

Dave is fucking him and it's unsteady at first but that somehow makes it so much better, losing his virginity with his soulmate while they're both inexperienced teens just desperate to be close. 

Dirk melts into Dave's kiss, into his hands, into everything. Dirk grabs back, one hand finding Dave's ass and gripping it hard. His kisses are sloppy and desperate like this is their last chance, but made better because it's the first of many. 

Dave is filling him up so fucking good, but Dirk has stopped trying to rock into him, letting Dave find his own rhythm. Each thrust forward also rubs Dave's stomach against his cock and Dirk thinks he might be able to get off from that alone. 

Everything is so  _ much _ and he never wants it to end.

Dirk grabs him right on back and then his  _ hand is on Dave's ass _ and Dave is choking on his own fucking breath as he tries to hold back, tries not to cum. 

Their teeth clack together as Dave tries to fuck and kiss Dirk at the same time and Dave has to pull back and gasp for air, everything is dizzingly hot, Dirk is tight around him and the drag of his dick in and out of Dirk feels so fucking good it's  _ unreal _ and Dave really- really can't hold back anymore- 

"Fuck,  _ Dirk- _ " Dave moans, his hips jerking forwards into Dirk as he cums.

Dave's kissing gets messier and harder and he pulls back and honestly as much as Dirk wants to keep kissing Dave, he needs the air as well. And then Dave's hips are stuttering and he moans his name and fuck, yeah, he's cumming, his soulmate just came in him. 

Dirk grabs his dick between their bodies and strokes it a few times, quickly before Dave pulls out, and he moans Dave's name as his hips jerk as cum splashes against his chest. And a little on Dave's. Ah well. Dirk's too focused on the strangely delicious feeling of his ass clenching around Dave's softening dick through his orgasm. 

His head falls back. He didn't even realize he was holding it up. 

"Fuck," he says breathlessly.

Dave's panting and reeling from the force of how fucking  _ good _ it feels to cum inside of Dirk and he can only watch as Dirk jerks himself off a couple of times and cums. 

_ Wow. _ Dave thinks, dazed.  _ I made that happen. _

"Holy shit." He croaks, for what must be the millionth time. "Jesus fucking christ." He pulls out and falls back to sit on his ass. "Oh my god." Somehow, he can't manage to sum up more than three word sentences. "You- holy shit. That was.... awesome."

Dirk feels empty and cold as Dave pulls out and off of him, and shivers at the feeling of cum leaking out of his ass. 

He can only nod in response at first, then says, "Are first times always that awesome or do Striders just have the 'fucking great at fucking' gene?" 

He breathes for a few more moments and adds, "You... Doing okay? No, uh, regrets or anything?"

Dave huffs a breathless laugh at Dirk's question. "Fucking... naturally gifted, dude, of course." 

He pauses though, and tilts his head. "Yeah, fuck, I dunno- not a single goddamn thing comes to mind, so lemme- lemme get back to you on that one I guess." 

He grins, his breathing starting to settle, so he leans forwards and lays himself out on the ground next to Dirk. 

"Not sure that at this point I'd ever need to come back to it, mind you." Dave murmurs, leaning in to kiss Dirk lightly because wow, that's his  _ soulmate _ , right here in front of him.

Dirk freezes up a little at Dave saying he'll come back to it but relaxes as he lays down and finishes talking and kisses him. 

Dirk kisses back, softly and full of love rather than desperate need. 

He pushes away thoughts of going back and everyone else finding out. He pushes away thoughts of even struggling back into his clothes, messy and sticky as he was. He just thinks about Dave, his soulmate, and the possible eternity they have together. 

"Love you," he says, and the words feel strange and wonderful to say.

Dave blinks a little in surprise at Dirk's words, but finds himself grinning, going in for another kiss. 

Dirk isn't anything like Bro- and he never will be. Bro might've had his soulmark- but Dave knows that  _ Dirk _ is his soulmate. The universe stole away someone who could have been his soulmate and instead gave him someone who  _ is _ . 

"Yeah." Dave murmurs against Dirk's mouth. "Love you too." It's weird to say but it's  _ exhilarating _ . They have something all of their own here, outside anything to do with their brothers or how they were raised or their friends or the game- 

And god dammit, now that he has it, Dave isn't going to let go. 

**Author's Note:**

> Dave's author is [@LPSunnyBunny](http://www.twitter.com/LPSunnyBunny)!
> 
> Dirk's author is [@Ov3rAnd0ut](https://twitter.com/Ov3rAnd0ut)!


End file.
